Seven persons from the state have been selected for the Padma Shri award for their contribution in the fields of art, literature and education, medicine and social work. Actor Soukar Janaki, Regards dancer R. Muthukannammal, clarinet scholar A. KC Natarajanand shehnai player S. Balesh Bhajantri has been selected from the field of arts. Pollachi-based Sarpi Balasubramaniam has been recognized in the field of literature and education. Diabetes specialist V. Seshia has been awarded for his contribution to the treatment of this condition, especially gestational diabetes, and S Damodaran, a social worker, for his work in building toilets and providing drinking water in remote villages. awarded for.
Veteran actress Sovkar Janki said: “I have won several awards for my performance over the years, including Lifetime Achievement Awards. But I am extremely proud of this national honour. It is like a crowning addition to all those other awards. to whom I have been honored.”
He said it was special to be honored from Tamil Nadu and to be among the people from different walks of life.
He made his debut in the 1950 filmdead body, directed by LV Prasad, with NT Rama Rao. In a career spanning over seven decades, Ms Janaki started off as a radio artist, and has appeared in films in all languages, including Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. He has also worked as a stage artist. “During my career in films, I have been very fortunate to work with the best production houses and actors. I recently finished filming for a Telugu film helmed by director Nandini Reddy,” said the veteran actor .
Muthukannammal may have started showing signs of his aging, but the eyes of the sadhirdancer and the last surviving devadasi twinkle when asked to perform. “I can stop walking, but I’ll never stop dancing,” she says. The Padma Shri award is a recognition of not only my work, but also of my ancestors, who taught me this art, says the 85-year-old. Through this recognition, he hopes that more people will try to learn the best. Twenty-eight years after she first performed, she continues to teach the art and visits various dance institutes across the state in the hope that it will be followed by her. “We never wrote songs; Everything is on my mind,” says Ms. Muthukannamal, who can sing in Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit and even Maithili.
At the age of 92, Tiruchi-based shehnai virtuoso AKC (Anjala Kuppusamy Chinnikrishna) Natarajan is excited to receive the Padma Shri award.
“Identity is important for an artist. I have always eagerly awaited the Padma Shri, as it is the official acknowledgment of one’s talent. It is true that I have received many honors and degrees from various institutions in the past. These are expressions of people’s affection and adoration towards my art. On the other hand, Padma Shri is like a recognition of one’s work. Both are necessary for an artist,” said Mr. Natarajan, also known as ‘Clarinet Everest’ in Carnatic music circles.*
Shehnai player and Hindustani vocalist Pandit S Balesh Bhajantri, who hails from Belgaum in Karnataka but has settled in Saligramam, Chennai, couldn’t believe it was actually a call from the Home Ministry. The shehnai artist, who starred in around 45,000, said, “I had not applied for any awards, and at times we thought that more deserving persons should have been chosen for the Padma awards. It was a real surprise to me.” ” Movie Songs in Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu and even Marathi.
“I came to Chennai about 38 years ago after getting A grade in All India Radio. I learned music from my father Pandit Sanna Bharamappa Bhajantri, Ustad Bismillah Khan of Varanasi, Pandit Puttaraja Gavai and Pandit Kodanda Salunke. I fell in love with the shehnai because it used to play on the radio in the morning. I started learning it when I was just 12 years old,” said Mr. Bhajantri, who, along with his son Krishna Ballesh, was awarded the Tamil Nadu government’s Kalaimamani award in 2020.
Sirpi P. Balasubramaniam, 86, sees the award as a national recognition for his 50 to 60 years of involvement in the field of Tamil literature, though it has been delayed.
A two-time Sahitya Akademi awardee and a recipient of the Kalaimamani award from the state government, he did his schooling in the then Malayalam medium in Kochi. His first encounter with Tamil literature was at Jamal Mohamed College in Tiruchi and he remembers his professor Abdul Kafur, who instilled in him a love for Tamil literature.
He taught Tamil for 30 years at Nallamuthu Mahalingam College in Pollachi, and served as the head of the Tamil department at Bharathiyar University. After publishing 130 books, Mr. Balasubramaniam’s literary works continue in his capacity as director of Arutselvar N. Mahalingam Translation Center.
V. Seshiya, inspired by his brother, Perumal, studied medicine at the Madras Medical College. This proved to be the perfect calling for him, as in 1978, he established the Department of Diabetes in MMC and in 1985 established the Post Graduate Diploma in Diabetes Science.
He has done seminal work in gestational diabetes, and today, the protocols he helped develop are being followed when examining pregnant women. He was the first to start a separate clinic for pregnancy and diabetes at Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Egmore in 1979.
“The Padma Shri award is a big inspiration. This recognition gives me the ability to say what I want to say,” said Dr. Seshia. “The Indian government has recognized that we started the Department of Diabetes long ago. It provides guidelines for the diagnosis and management of gestational diabetes. This is the only condition that has been identified,” he said.
He served in the Indian Army during the Indo-China and Indo-Pakistani Wars, and later on the Uri-Poonch rise, for which he was awarded the Summer Service Award and the Military Service Medal in 1965.
S Damodaran, 59, has spent over three decades raising awareness about the link between clean water, sanitation and hygiene through his Tiruchi-based NGO, Gramalaya. He dedicated his Padma Shri award for social service to the employees and partners of his organization and said that the purpose of Gramalaya has evolved with the changing times.
“We consciously chose to focus on water, sanitation and hygiene as these are the keys to our existence. When we started in 1987, most of the households lacked drinking water supply and toilets. Converting people to household toilets after years of open defecation was not easy, but with the passage of time, our message of the link between cleanliness and good health is reaching the masses. Now, we all know that providing toilets and drinking water at home is a part of preventive health care,” Mr Damodaran said.
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